I’m not sure what comes over me. The next thing I realize, my mouth is on his. I’m kissing him in the most manic, possessive way. The kinds of kisses you write about. There’s something animalistic in the way I tell him he’s mine through our kiss.
His hands flatten against my stomach, push upwards over my chest and shoulders, and around my neck. He presses against me. My grip is reflexive. The growly voice inside me wants to dig my fingers into his skin, to leave marks on him so he knows who gets to touch him every time he sees them.
I think I’m devouring him whole. Sucking on his tongue, biting his lip. Losing myself in the hypnotic taste that is Elijah Cain.
When he moans, sirens go off in my head, and I pull backward. Oh fuck. Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck!
“Lie,” I say.
His cheeks are flushed. His lips are puffy. His tongue sneaks out to lick them. My entire body throbs with want for this man.
“Laiken,” he responds, his voice just as quiet as mine had been.
I shake my head, taking a step back. Letting him go, though everything inside me is screaming to hang on tightly. “We can’t do this,” I insist. “We can’t. This can’t happen again.”
Elijah frowns.
“I’m sorry,” I say and move further away. “I shouldn’t have done that.”
His frown deepens as he crosses his arms over his chest.
I force myself to move. “Don’t leave with strangers,” I repeat.
“Seems to me like you don’t get an opinion on who I leave with,” he mutters.
My feet pause, but I know that anything that comes out of my mouth is going to lead us somewhere we can’t go. We can’t.
Nason’s son!
Taking a deep breath, I leave him at the side of the bar and go back inside. Elijah doesn’t come back for the rest of my shift.
Chapter Five
LIE
March
“Got it,”Cash says as he walks into the door. He kicks it behind him and it closes loudly. He climbs onto his bed beside me so we’re both on our stomachs and sets the newsletter between us.
There is no official newspaper on Kala. There is only the weekly resident newsletter, which might as well be a newspaper at this point. It combines all the good things—everything happening around the islands, some fun, and a single page of world headlines at the very end.
As residents, we have access to the internet, so we can see what’s happening around the world if we choose. I don’t usually care what’s happening around the world. Call me naïve or stupid, but I choose to be hidden away in the bubble that is the Isle of Kala.
I hand Cash a dick cookie and we settle in to read the newsletter. Generally speaking, we take turns reading eachsection out loud. Since he just bit the head of his sugar cock off, I take the first section.
“Welcome new resident, Ian Stillwater. Ian hails from Amsterdam and joins Kala as a new member of the Hospitality Team. He has some exciting new ideas and is enthusiastic about sharing his expertise with us. Ian has moved to Keone Reef with his cat, Felix. If you see him, say hello and make him feel welcome.”
“Amsterdam grows hot men,” Cash comments. “Look at that jawline. Mm.”
I grin and take a bite of my cookie while Cash reads the next one.
“Sections of Buggy Boulevard will be closed on March 3 and 4 while damage is repaired. Please seek an alternate route or bring the workers a cold beverage on your way by. It’s hot. Let’s take care of our residents and guests.”
“Damaged,” I repeat as I look at the pothole in the picture. “From what? Did I sleep through a storm?”
Cash shrugs. “They had some trucks on that road a while ago to fix something in the ground, remember? I’m guessing it’s damage from the big trucks.”
There aren’t vehicles on the islands to speak of. They’re just not big enough to warrant them. Not to mention, we’re rather conscious of our environment at Kala and strive to keep our carbon footprint as small as possible. So there are only vehicles when absolutely necessary.
